[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 94 (Tuesday, July 18, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1436-E1437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      TRIBUTE TO RADM TERRY L. ``T'' McCREARY, UNITED STATES NAVY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 18, 2006

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to recognize RADM 
Terry L. ``T'' McCreary on the occasion of his retirement as the Navy's 
Chief of Information after 28 years of dedicated service to our Navy 
and the Nation.
  Before becoming a public affairs officer, Admiral McCreary joined the 
Navy as a surface warfare officer. His service to our Nation has taken 
him around the globe during some of the most important military 
operations in our recent history. As a junior officer, he completed 
several deployments in the Pacific Fleet onboard the USS O'Brien (DD 
975). He also served on the staff of the Seventh Fleet, based in Japan, 
and with the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf.
  I first came to know Admiral McCreary during Operation Desert Storm, 
when he served as the public affairs officer for the battleship USS 
Missouri (BB 63) in the Persian Gulf. He is a student of history and a 
scholar, but is remarkable for his candor and insight, traits that have 
served him and the Navy well during his career.
  Admiral McCreary has excelled in positions of leadership in the joint 
force. He served with skill as the public affairs officer for the U.S. 
Pacific Command, and also as the Special Assistant for Public Affairs 
to both GENs Hugh Shelton and Richard Myers in their capacity as 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  In the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, he was instrumental in 
accurately depicting the work and sacrifices of our men and women in 
uniform. He oversaw the plan to embed journalists with our forces in 
Iraq to bring the news from the front directly to the American people.
  Rear Admiral McCreary assumed the duties as the Navy's Chief of 
Information in July 2003. He has provided sound counsel to the 
Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations and has ably 
directed the 3,500 sailors and civilian communication professionals 
under his care. He has skillfully built a sound foundation for the 
future of strategic communications in the Navy.
  With his intimate knowledge of public affairs across the spectrum of 
military operations, his

[[Page E1437]]

advice has been sought by officials both inside and outside of 
government. Admiral McCreary has been the right person, in the right 
job, at the right time for the U.S. Navy.
  I know Rear Admiral McCreary's contributions to our Nation will 
continue. As he retires, I want to offer him and his wife, Jopat, my 
personal appreciation for their service and wish them well as they 
begin this new phase of their lives together.

                          ____________________